tread by the people of poland. >> reporter: but on ere leg of his trip, he and his campaign faced one controversy after another. from romney's comments questioning london's readiness to host the olympics to his remarks at a fundraiser in israel hinting cultural differences might explain palestinian poverty. >> governor romney, do you feel your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip. >> reporter: reporters try today ask romney about some of the perceived gaffes on his trip. the candidate ignored the questions. his press aide did not. >> show some respect, jim. >> we haven't had another chance to ask him questions. >> [ bleep ]. >> this is a holy site for the holy people. show some respect. >> reporter: after romney's speech in poland, senior advisor stew art stevens was asked. >> could this trip have gone more smoothly do you think in general? >> i think it was a great success. people get a good sense of what

he is and this is a person speaking from the heart. and he is. >> reporter: during a week long trip to three countries, romney took only three questions from his traveling press corp. the gop contender did a series of sit-down interviews including ones with cnn's wolf blitzer and piers morgan. still the obama campaign slammed romney as not ready for primetime while the trip got a more sympathetic response from the white house. >> these are high stakes enterprises that pulling them off is a lot harder than it looks. that they can be very tense especially if they're not going well. >> reporter: signaling that it's turning the page the romney campaign unveiled a new smartphone app adesigned to announce the pick in a few weeks. >> i know what it's like to hire people and wonder whether you're going to make ends meet down the

road. >> reporter: romney never openly criticized the president during this overseas trip, but all of that will change later this week when romney heads to the battleground state of colorado, joe. >> jim, i think the question at this stage is whether we've seen an apology from the aide who had that sort of misuse of words there, if you will. >> reporter: joe, there was no official apology from the campaign, but that aide did call a couple of reporters, he did apologize over the phone and the apology was accepted. joe, we are big boys and girls out here. we can take it. >> that's absolutely correct. jim acosta, stay right there. i want to bring in cnn senior correspondent dana bash covering the campaign and also gloria borger. dana, this is obviously about access. and over the years we all know there are issues and it all depends on which candidate is talking to the media. have you seen big changes in access to these candidates over the years?

>> definitely seen gradual changes as i'm sure you have. look, i've had to use my former cheerleading voice many times to get a question to presidents and to candidates for president. but i've had to do that more and more as has jim over the years because, look, i mean it's just the world that we live in from their perspective that with twitter, the internet, with everything going viral immediately, it's hard for them to say anything without altering the message that they're trying to get out that day. having said that, it is frustrating having been a reporter on several presidential campaigns, you're there, you're going on the bus, you're going off the bus, you're sitting through every speech. and you want to have access to the candidate to be able to ask them questions. and especially at the end of a trip like this where you're really going full bore and you don't have a chance to ask anything, that's what happens when you really try to ask. and you have to be careful of your surroundings, but you got to do your job. >> gloria, and i have to ask you, in the big picture, how important is this really? do you think romney has lost the

narrative? >> well, i think he's steered himself a little bit off script more than his campaign would have wanted. but then to carry the metaphor a little bit, you have to sort of ask yourself, who's actually watching the play? are the independent voters right now focused on mitt romney's foreign trip and the gaffes he made? probably not. independent voters are not going to vote on the commander in chief question as much as president obama might like that, they're going to vote on the economy. so romney did get some good pictures even though he got some bad press with the palestinians and the brits. he did get a nice warm reception from netanyahu and nick valencia. did he make more gaffes over there than he did over here? >> i think the answer i think is probably no. >> yeah. he's had challenges from time to time. we all know that. jim, there's a new mitt romney ad out. what does it mean coming this time where we are in the campaign? >> my own experience was i got

the chance to start my own business. i know what it's like to hire people and to wonder whether you're going to be able to make ends meet down the road. freedom and free enterprise are what create jobs. not government. from those experiences, i went off to have the chance of running the olympics in salt lake city in 2002. i came in and found that we had not only the scandal to deal with, but also a financial crisis to deal with. by the time the games were over we had about $100 million we put into for the future olympic sport. [ applause ] the real experience was in massachusetts i found a budget badly out of balance. we cut our spending. our legislature was 85% democrats. and every one of the four years i was governor we balanced the budget. i want to use those experiences to help americans have a better future. we believe in our future. we believe in ourselves. we believe the greatest days of america are ahead. >> believe in the america you built. believe we can build it again. >> i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >> jim acosta, looks a lot like

morning in america to me. >> reporter: it does. and in a conversation earlier maybe remember ronald reagan and the way he use today pretend he couldn't hear sam donaldson's questions. but to show you the contrast with how candidates can handle things on the campaign trail but to your point over the ad, this is going to be long forgotten perhaps as soon as next week. this campaign is going to be about the economy. both campaigns know about that. it's no surprise that the very first ad that goes out on the air as romney comes back to the states is about the economy, joe. >> about the economy, joe, but also a pivot in terms of how he's dealing with his own experience. his experience, the obama campaign has been able to in some ways successfully turn into a negative. he's trying to turn it back into a positive saying, look, i did all these things and this is why you should elect me. >> and also taking a knock at president obama by saying the america you built because -- >> subtle, but it's there. >> a little bit subtle but

talked about his business experience, didn't mention bain capital by name, but did talk about business. >> dana, there's some other news obviously on capitol hill that is certainly important to the country as we move through the november elections. talk about that, will you? >> exactly. we're all talking about what's important and not important when it comes to the elections. and what is important to congress, democrats and republicans, is not having the fear and the threat of government shutdown. so there was a deal today among democrats and republicans to say that they're going to have a stopgap measure for six months. so that means they're not going to have to worry about -- it really sa political jumpball whether or not the government shuts down. they're going to kick that can down the road. you covered congress for a long time. this is not the first time it happened. it is their job to fund a government. they didn't do all their work -- >> kicking the can. that's also their job these days. >> it absolutely is. thanks so much, dana bash, gloria borger and in warsaw, jim acosta, thanks for your reporting there. mitt romney's top opponent

in the primary, former senator rick santorum, hasn't been invited to speak at the republican convention. i'll ask him about that coming up next. and the stars of the new movie "the campaign" are in "the situation room." will ferrell and zach galifianakis will get their take on the movie's co-star wolf blitzer? it's in the teleprompter. >> with a thin majority in the house, this race could be hugely important. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] [ dramatic soundtrack plays ] whether it's showing competitors' rates

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because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ during the republican primaries rick santorum emerged as mitt romney's most tenacious and effective conservative rival even though he's not considered likely to be romney's running mate, he's keeping a close eye on the campaign's developments including the former governor's just-completed overseas trip. joining me now is former senator rick santorum. thanks for coming in. good to see you, again. >> thank you, joe.

very fond memory of you on the campaign. the day we found out the cnn poll was coming out, you were in muskatine, iowa with me. >> so on monday mitt romney compared the per capita gdps of israel and the palestinian-controlled areas, what do you make of that comment? >> well, i would just say that, you know, the facts are the facts. the facts that the israelis have a dynamic marketplace, they've put together just like we did in this country based upon our values, based upon our culture, we put together laws that allow for freedom, that allow for people to be able to reap the fruits of their labor, for equality, and people would be able to go out and prosper. and as a result of those values reflected in the laws and created opportunities as a

result. and i think the israelis have copied -- not copied, but used the example of the united states as a basis for their country. and i think what you've seen in the palestinian authority is not that. you see a society that is based on a very different set of values and structures and is not as successful. i think that's the point he was trying to make. >> you agree with his comment? as you know, some of the palestinians have been using strong language, some have gone as far as calling that comment racist. >> again, look at the laws of the country are a reflection of the values of the people. and if you look at the israeli economy, it is a free and open economy. it is one that allows for entrepreneurship. it's a very encouraging economy for growth. and i don't think -- and they have solid education system, again, reflected in their laws, their culture of the importance of education and the equality,

very important, equality of all and the opportunity of equality of all is very, very important in that culture and leads to success as it has here in america. >> for the record it's important to say that mitt romney has said he was not criticizing palestinian culture. overall in the totality of it, do you think this trip was a success? he's had what have been described as some gaffes. >> you know, what i find is is that when conservatives and republicans make a misstep, they're blown out of proportions, when the other side does, they're ignored. i think if you look at the symbolism that was behind the romney effort, the symbolism in poland, here is a country that's been abandon, this is a country that is pro-american, pro-free market, pro-the things we stand for in this country and this president has systemically turned his back on them. if you look at israel, again, culture, economy, national security all in line with the united states. this administration has turned its back on them.

great britain, same thing. sending back the bus. again, distancing ourselves from our oldest ally in the last hundred years and best ally in the last hundred years. and i think it's ajuktive position. >> was it a success? do you think it was a success for mitt romney? >> i think the long-term take from this is one that we can go out and make the differentiation between what a world under mitt romney and a republican administration would be versus the tattered relationships that we have with some of our best and longest and strongest allies. >> do you think he needs to release his tax returns like you used to? i know back in january you did say you thought he did need to release his tax returns. >> he did release his tax returns. he released the one year. >> but just one year. >> and i went out -- well, i think probably his one-year tax return is bigger than my ten years. >> but do you think there are some years he didn't pay taxes

at all? >> oh, i don't know. i think to me it's a distraction. governor romney can make that case from the standpoint of the politics of it. i'm not going to weigh-in on that. i think if you look at the pressure that governor romney is getting on his tax returns and you look at the lack of pressure president obama's had on a whole series of things personal to him that he's still refused to include his transcripts and a whole list of other things, it's again a double standard. and i think if president obama wants to set record for transparency, he should be a lot more transparent as a result. >> you have not been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate for mitt romney. why do you think you haven't been vetted? >> oh, i think i've probably been pretty well vetted. >> you think you have? >> i think they know more about me than just anybody. and, you know, look, when you're in the ring and slugging away, they know everything about us. and, you know, we have a pretty

good idea of what they're about too. i don't think that's part of it. look, governor romney has a right to pick who he feels comfortable with, someone he has confidence in, someone he has a good, strong relationship with and that he can build upon. that's a personal decision. and i trust governor romney will make a very good one. >> what is your relationship with him now? and do you think you ought to get a speaking role at the rnc convention? >> you know, we've been in communication with the romney campaign. they have been nothing but receptive in things we've asked what we can do and things they've asked us to do. i have no doubt that we'll have some role at the convention. and as you know they haven't announced any speakers other than chris kristie as the keynote. i will do my best to be helpful in the cause. >> you do expect to speak at the convention? >> i will have some role at the convention. it's up to governor romney what is best. i think we can communicate a

message that will hopefully bring folks along to support governor romney and hopefully with a lot of enthusiasm. >> thanks so much for that. former senator rick santorum. really good to see you. >> my pleasure, joe. good to be here. it's the talk of the olympics. viewers frustrated they have to wait to see the big events. not anymore. we have the most up-to-date results way before you see it on tv tonight. and a beer-related delay to a boyfriend's dream wedding proposal. ♪

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a massive power outage crippling india for a second day in a row. mary snow is monitoring that and other stories in "the situation room" right now. mary, what's the latest? >> hi, joe. power is slowly being restored after today's outage that affected more than half a billion people. both leapt the capital of new dell delhi in the dark. here in the u.s. george zimmerman's wife pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury. prosecutors say she lied about how much money the couple had at a hearing to decide how much her husband's bond would be. shellie zimmerman told the court they didn't have money to pay for his defense. but prosecutors say the couple had $135,000 in different accounts. check this out. a proposal at a baseball game is

that your girlfriend doesn't see the message. that happened to greg. you see him? erica left her seat in the middle of that message in the fifth inning. she went to go get drinks. she brought two back, just like a great -- the cubs scored nine runs in the bottom of the inning. that was enough to keep her by greg's side. he opted to make the proposal in person. she didn't miss the message this time? happy ending. gets the girl in the end. >> oh, that's awesome. thanks so much for that, mary. cnn is getting rare access in syria. coming up in our next hour, ivan watson takes us inside a makeshift rebel prison. but first, the stars of the new movie "the campaign" are here. i'm talking with will ferrell and zach galifianakis next. ♪ there is no relief for the brakes. we'll put them to the test today. all right, let's move out! [ ross ] we're pushing the ats brakes to the limit.

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all the things humans need to make our beautifully imperfect world a little less imperfect. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? you're in "the situation room." i think that was pretty good, right? yeah. with less than 100 days until the election, we already know that campaigning can get ugly and a little out of hand. that gives plenty of material or maybe competition "the campaign" a new movie starring will

ferrell and zach galifianakis. >> news coming out of the 14th district congressional race in north carolina. now get this, cam brady, four-time congressman, punched a baby. >> they're not going to show you the punch. will ferrell and zach galifianakis are here in "the situation room" with us. thanks for showing up here in d.c. >> thanks for having us. >> you did good on the teleprompter there. >> is the situation coming by? is it showing up? >> i don't know. "the situation room" is whatever you make of it i guess. so the movie, i guess the first thing we want to talk about is what wolf talked about, which was the punch of the baby. i saw the movie. and it was a pretty good punch. you threw it. >> right. i threw it. >> and, will, as i understand it, it was maybe your nephew? i'm sorry -- will and zach, zach, was it your nephew. >> i may have said that in an

interview but it was probably a lie. i'm not relate today that child. >> it was a highly trained stunt baby. >> did the baby cry? >> the baby was so tough. no. didn't even shed a tear. in fact, laughed in my face. >> really? >> and i believe it's first words were, is that all you got? >> tough baby. >> tough baby. >> so how did wolf do in the movie? you guys are big hollywood stars. review him. >> i think he did fantastic. first of all, zach loves anyone with a beard. >> yeah. wolf and i bonded over the beard stuff. >> really? >> he's not a just for men guy. that's one of his trade secrets. >> all right. so you guys could have made any kind of a movie together. >> right. >> at any time. and you chose politics. >> yes. >> why politics? >> we had sat down and we're

fans of each other -- at least i'm a fan of zach's. zach has never told me if he thinks i'm funny or not. >> do you think he's funny? >> sometimes it's good. >> yeah. >> that's pretty positive. so, no, we initially wanted to do this movie about these two characters in the south. and that kind of segued into a movie about politics. >> and you're from the south. you're from north carolina. >> that's correct. >> and you sort of threw some of your personal experience in this. i understand you had an uncle in congress and even ran for the senate. >> my uncle nick. nick galifianakis. >> there he is. >> oh my goodness, there he is. i should have probably clear that had with him. he had two campaign buttons because the last name wouldn't fit on one. so he split the name. >> we have a sound bite from him actually talking about campaigning. >> no. >> can we listen? >> no. >> we do. we've gone into your history. >> don't do this. >> this is your life.

>> i was getting up at 4:30 and 5:00 and going to factories and trying to meet people. >> so there you go. >> well. that's very sweet. >> interesting though in watching this movie, i thought i saw, you know, shades of people like john edwards, the former governor of texas, a variety of different -- maybe even george w. bush? you've imitated him. >> i've patterned my character after a combination of ma dlin and john sununu. >> why? >> i just like saying sununu. >> the gloves are a really nice touch. these are driving gloves? >> they're for texting. >> i never saw those online before. >> yeah. these are ferrari driving gloves. >> can i just admit something that i've been standing on a book this whole time called "all the president's children."

>> hope the good people of ferrari send me a car to match the gloves i have. >> yeah. they're very nice actually. so trash talk. this is one of the things that comes all the way through politics and we cover it here. >> yes. >> we cover it all the time. we have a clip from the movie of your two characters right before debate encaging in some trash talk. >> you take a bath in a toilet. >> oh, that was it. >> that was a quick one. i think i had to go to the bathroom. >> if i remember correctly some of the language was -- >> cam's trash talking is very sophisticated. >> his is. there's some actually pretty racy scenes in this, but it really has quite a message, doesn't it? >> yeah. >> it's about campaign finance reform. >> absolutely. >> there seem to be a little bit of takeouts on the coke brothers, the conservative brother who is have done so much funding of politics. talk to us a little bit about the message. >> i mean, first and foremost

it's just a very funny movie. but at the same time we're -- we didn't really want to take sides either left or right. but the one issue that we feel is pretty nonpartisan is just the massive amounts of money that are flowing into politics right now. and kind of pointing that out in a way that's also humorous. >> and the challenge of this movie i think is taking a very serious subject and turning it funny. i'm no movie reviewer, but it seems like you've done a pretty good job of that. >> well, it's tough to do a comedy if you're being preachy. we just wanted to do some jokes. but as will said -- it's will, right? >> wilt with a t. >> that's another movie. >> we kind of want today highlight the money being spent for all this stuff. it's kind of ridiculous. >> so you're doing something of a little tour here in washington, d.c.

>> right. >> in advance of this movie coming out. i know so many people in our business have been fascinated by you and your role as a television anchor. >> sure, yeah. >> is that the kind of thing that you think has sort of informed this movie as well? the public presentation, if you will. have you taken a little bit of that character and put it in this film? >> you know, my character is actually the incumbent. and he's a very much professional politician. so i think we're just, we're kind of so inundated with seeing these types of guys everywhere that it's not easy -- it's not hard at all to kind of study all the sound bites and everything and create a character. >> yeah. and i know the interesting thing as we talked a little bit about the baby at the start, we actually saw the baby character appear in another movie that you

were in, which was the las vegas movie "the hangover," how does that theme reappear? >> i won't do a movie unless it has a little baby in it. >> that's in his contract. >> and the animals, you also punch a dog. >> yep. poor cam brady actually ends up punching the dog from "the artist." it's a series of misfortunes that leads to his downfall. >> and gets shot seems like a play on dick cheney. >> yeah. there was a lot to draw from in real life. >> would you ever like to actually go into politics, either of you? >> i've always wanted to be comptroller of something. >> why comptroller? >> i don't know what it is. i'm a comptrol freak.

>> it has to do with money, i think. >> in doing this movie we have a newfound respect for candidates in terms of how much work it is and going into whether you're going to the diner to eat a hot dog and meet people to, you know, speaking at a rally or doing eight or ten things in one day. it's pretty crazy. >> yeah. >> whether you're going to a fortune country and talking about how bad their olympics are, things like that. it's a lot of work. >> all right. well, we've been hoping to get your reaction from your characters on some of the current events. we want to play you what romney traveling press secretary said today in poland to the press, governor romney. you may have already heard this one. >> governor romney, do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip? >> [ bleep ] this is a holy site

for the polish people. show some respect. [ laughter ] >> i haven't seen that. >> sort of right out of your movie. >> oh my gosh. pretty much. >> what's your reaction? >> he's upset at somebody yelling a question? is that what he was upset? >> yeah. well, what would your characters' reaction be to that? >> oh -- >> i would just probably say don't use that kind of language. [ laughter ] >> cam would probably say, i use that language at least five times a day. and sometimes you lose your temper. and it's okay to curse. >> thank you so much. it's really great meeting you guys. >> thanks for having us. >> we've seen the movie. and the best of luck in all your travels. >> can we take this home with us? >> well, i don't want to give it to you because wolf blitzer

might need it when he gets back. >> all right. we'll find another keepsake. >> the situation table. >> yes. >> you've seen what the intense drought is doing to crops across the u.s., but the nation's nuclear power plants need water too. and they're running into trouble. and the deadly ebola virus is spreading. our dr. sanjay gupta is next. >> gupta's here? >> yeah. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] a living, breathing intelligence helping business, do more business. in here, opportunities are created and protected. gonna need more wool! demand is instantly recognized and securely acted on across the company. around the world. turning a new trend, into a global phenomenon.

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at least 14 people are dead in the latest outbreak of the ebola virus for which there's novak seen and no effective treatment. it's happening in uganda where the country's president is telling people to be cautious and even avoid shaking hands

with one another. our chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, is at the cnn center in atlanta. sanj sanjay. >> well, what little people do know of this, i know it's typically a very deadly virus. morality rates with this virus can be as high as 90%. obviously it gets a lot of people's attention. it's been around or identified since 1976, joe. what we know now as you said 14 people infected, 36 people have died. mortality rate a little less than 50%. they're obviously trying to contain this as best they can. trying to isolate people so they don't continue to spread it. as you mentioned, there's no absolute treatment or vaccine. so isolation is the biggest key here. that's what they're doing at hospitals in this particular area of uganda. joe, it typically starts as a flu-like thing. you feel sick. people get joint pain often as well. but the thing that's swishing as ebola is it's known as a

hemorrhagic fever. people may develop spontaneous bleeding. that can be quite deadly, joe. >> and very, very scary for people where there's an outbreak. sanjay, how does someone protect themselves from getting ebola? >> well, contrary to popular belief, a lot of people believe ebola is spread through the air. it's not. it's through contact with bodily fluids. someone that has ebola, you have a lot of bush meat hunters, i've been to this exact area and been in the jungles with a gentleman trying to figure this out. you find people exposed to the virus, they may have the pathogen on their hands, they may touch somebody else and it can spread that way through bodily fluids sort of exchanging, saliva, mucus. best advice is obviously wash your hands. if someone is sick they need to be isolated. what happens also in this world

is people bury their dead sochlt if someone's died of ebola, family members trying to bury that person can subsequently attract the virus. it's tough to talk about, but it's some of the ways it gets transmitted. >> and obviously people who watch this program would want to know, is there any risk of ebola reaching major cities or spreading to other parts of the globe say on a plane or what have you? >> i think there's very little chance of that. there's a couple of reasons why. one is, you know, if you look throughout history, ebola does tend to be pretty contained. it might spread a bit more within a region, but not the way you're describing it. also, joe, again, this is sort of a tough way to think of things, but these patients either die or they're very, very sick for a long time. so the idea of them getting on a plane and traveling is less likely. you hear about that happening much more with other viruses that make people sick. but they may still travel around and spread it. ebola that typically doesn't happen. but that doesn't prevent the

efforts to try and isolate and con taint. we know over the 14 people who died. nine in the same household. others were health care members treating that household or family members of those health care workers. i tell you all that, joe, because you can get in your mind's eye how these virus hunters approach something like this and try and contain it. there's a logical sequence here. >> so we've got 14 fatalities, is that the number that you've got? and do you have any idea how far -- how many more people could actually die? >> well, you know, 14 is the number that we're hearing. we're getting numbers updated as quickly as possible. we're hearing 36 people have been infected. so that's what they are sort of looking at now. what would be of most concern is right now these people are all from a similar sort of area. if you suddenly started to see sporadic cases in other areas, other provinces or other parts of the country, then you'd start to worry that something had happened that you just

described. that people have traveled with it and see clusters of outbreaks in other places. that doesn't appear to have happened as of yet, joe. >> dr. sanjay gupta in atlanta, thanks so much for that reporting. >> you got it. thanks, joe. defense secretary leon panetta sits down with egypt's president. after the meeting the leader says he's "his own man," but is he committed to democracy? ♪ ( whirring and crackling sounds )

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what's being seen as payback to hardliners who supported, egypt's new president is freeing a group of islamist militants jailed by former egyptian leader hosni mubarak. he's also offering a

conciliatory hand to the u.s. he welcomed leon panetta today. cnn correspondent barbara starr is in cairo. >> reporter: getting the welcoming handshake with mohamed morsi is in fact one of the pentagon's key objectives here. panetta has wanted to meet him face-to-face and get a sense of where the new egyptian leader is headed. panetta is also telling egypt's military leaders that the transition to full democracy must be completed. >> i was convinced that president morsi is his own man. and that he is the president of all the egyptian people. and that he is truly committed to implementing democratic reforms here in egypt. and it's my view based on what i

have seen and the discussions i've had that president morsi and marshal have a very good relationship and working together toward the same ends. >> reporter: morsi's selection of a new cabinet is the next step. the u.s. is watching closely to see what kind of economic advisors the egyptian president picks. they believe that will be key. interestingly enough one of the issues not so much on the table here is additional u.s. arms sales to egypt. u.s. officials tell us that's not really a top issue in this set of meetings because they know more arms sales are coming. but they want to get the issue of transition to democracy sorted out once and for all. barbara starr, cnn, cairo. secretary panetta is also visiting israel and jordan during this trip. just days ago they were fighting for the syrian government.

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call... and lock in your rate for 12 months. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme. it's almost 10:00 at night in london where olympic action is still underway. but spoiler alert, we have results coming in from today's competitions. our tom foreman has been keeping an eye on the action. tom, how did the usa do today? >> it did fine, joe. but i want to say to you again, this is a spoiler alert. if you don't want to know who won, look away, turn your sound down for about three minutes you'll be covered, but it's going to happen now. don't be mad at us if you keep

the tv on. fix it if you want to. look at what was happening over there if we move forward into this game. you can see -- i'm going to give you the first two minutes of it. here goes a timer. and we're off and running. let's take a look at the competition out there. in the skeet shooting competition, this one matters. this guy right here. vincent hancock, 23 years old from georgia, u.s. army staff sergeant. and he took the gold. second time. he did it in beijing as well. kimberly won for the women. that's a sweep for the u.s. when it comes to the notion of getting the gold in skeet shooting, which is a good thing to do. hold on, i'm having trouble with the olympic team here. that's a good thing to do. you know they have a huge problem with wild skeets in britain. the women's olympic team, this is a big, big, big deal. tremendous showing on the balance beam and on the vault and some of the things they had to do there. the women's olympic team, nobody really knew for sure if they could pull it off, but i'm telling you, you can see it

right there with jordan wearing the gom showing as she rides in the car. huge win for them. that's a huge deal for them. 30 seconds left. michael phelps. you can't say he's not doing well because he's a great olympian. but he tied the all-time record for medals in the 200 butterfly, but only with the silver. he didn't get the gold he wanted. he got outtouched in just the last moment. that's the kind of day it's been for the olympic team. and the time is up after two minutes of telling you what went on today, joe. >> tom, what's the medal count right now? >> let me bring it up. we are now tied with china for overall medals. they've got a little edge here in terms of gold medals right now. so we'll have to watch that very closely. and everybody else, japan, france, south korea, they're behind us by a pretty good margin. a big duel going on here as i think we all expected. we'll have to see how it plays out over the next few days. keep you up to date on all this because it's very exciting. i don't know how much you're watching, but i'm watching a

lot. >> i'm definitely watching. >> you might hear in my office go, go. got totally into water polo today. >> all over the country. thanks so much, tom foreman in the newsroom. you're in "the situation room." happening now, a population almost double the size of the u.s. in the dark in sweltering heat. india hit by a crippling power outage for the second day in a row. also, concern about possible blackouts in the u.s. the relentless drought has nuclear power plants growing increasingly thirsty. and hillary clinton speaks out for the first time about a top aide targeted by republican lawmakers questioning whether she has tie today radical islam. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm joe johns. you're in "the situation room."

[ gunfire ] we begin this hour in syria where the battle for aleppo, the country's commercial capital, is unfolding. the rebel free syrian army is making incremental gains according to an opposition group seizing control of two police stations including this one in a central part of the city with at least 40 police officers said to be killed in the battle. nearby rebel forces have captured dozens of regime fighters. cnn's ivan watson is on the ground in northern syria and got an exclusive look at the world's newest prisoners of war. a warning, his report has some graphic images. >> we're in a rebel-controlled makeshift prison in a school where they're keeping 112 prison

prisoners. they're going to show us the prisoners' conditions right now. instead of school children, this crowded classroom holds at least 40 prisoners. we won't show their faces because most of them clearly don't want to be filmed perhaps fearing retribution against their families. the prison warden accuses these men of being members of the much-feared syrian militia. he orders one to stand up for the camera and take off his shirt. he limps unable to stand flat on his feet. this prisoner has the face of the syrian regime tattooed on his chest. portraits of the family that's ruled syria for more than 40

years. former president, his long dead son and the current president, bashar al assad. on his back a greeting in arabic. but someone has cut deep gashes into tattoos showing bashar al assad's face. god is great is all the prisoner says. this prisoner is a member who used to beat protesters at demonstrations says the warden, a former employee in the agricultural ministry who asks only to be called abu hatem. it looked to me like someone had deliberately cut him on the tattoos of the assad family. this man confessed to committing crimes, he tells me. so he cut himself because he wanted to donate blood to the

rebels. it seems an unlikely account. the warden shows us the food his men feed the prisoners. jailers bring us another suspected shbia member. the man trembles glancing terrified at his captors every time he speaks. he says he worked as a bureaucrat in the state finance office in aleppo until rebels blew it up. desperate for money to pay for his pregnant wife's cesarean section, the man took a job as a security guard check point for about $100 a month. he says he'd only been on the job for five days when rebels captured him. the top enforcer at this facility is a hulking man nicknamed jumbo. he says he endured days of torture in government prisons. in another room he seems to treat captured soldiers and army

officers with more respect. just days ago these were men in uniform fighting for the syrian government. now they are captives of an increasingly confident rebel movement that's determined to destroy the syrian regime. ivan watson, cnn reporting from northern syria. >> ivan watson joins us live. and ivan, we're not going to identify exactly where you are except to say that you're in syria. can you give us some sense of how you got access to these people in the piece? >> reporter: we were invited by the rebels. the warden said we want the whole world to come in here. we'll welcome the international community or red cross journalists from any country around the world because the whole world has stood by and ignored what has happened in syria for the last 17 months. and we want the world to see the mess that you all have left us in. >> and pretty remarkable.

talk about, if you will, from your experience just how bad is this? >> reporter: well, i spent much of the last 17 months covering allegations of systematic human rights abuses in syrian prisons, government-run prisons by syrian security forces, horrific stories that will stay with me for some time that i've heard from many former inmates as well as former security officers. and now here we've seen a rebel-run institution improvised and certainly in the case of that one heavily tattooed man who seems to be a fanatic loyalist to the syrian regime, those gashes in his chest, his defaced -- painfully defaced torso very much look like they had not been self-inflicted despite the denials of the captors there. we did see a couple other people

who were pretty bruised and appeared to have been beaten in the two cells that we were shown. and one man who was brought out to me was not only trembling, at one point one of the captors said, why doesn't he lift his shirt to show that he has no signs? signs of what? well, i would assume that means marks of torture. and then this terrified man looked at this big fellow, jumbo, and whispered to him, no, i do have marks. he was terrified that we would show this on camera. so it suggests that these people are terrified of the men who are holding them. and that war is a very, very ugly thing. and that perhaps the rebels are not treating their captives up to international standards. >> ivan watson, you've been doing some simply incredible reporting from there. our hearts are with you.

stay safe. a power outage on a massive scale for the second day in a row. hundreds of millions of people in india lost electricity bringing life for more than half a billion people to a grinding and sweltering halt. cnn's brian todd has details. brian, what's happened? >> well, joe, india officials say it's likely for the demand for power in india went wait up in a very short period of time possibly because farmers in the northern part of the country with a lack of rainfall there spiked their use of electric water pimps. now india officials say power there has largely been restored, but this blackout has caused huge problems in india and left many on this side of the world to wonder could it happen here? in a word, crippling. two massive cascading power failures in india over the course of two days leave up to 600 million people without electricity. almost double the entire u.s. population. road and rail traffic brought to a halt.

millions sweating it out in sering heat. could the u.s. experience a similar catastrophe where half the population is out of power once at once? >> we have the system operating closer and closer to the edge of collapse. >> reporter: an electrical engineering professor at the university of minnesota says the kind of calamitous blackout that india experienced is unlikely in the u.s. but possible. america, he says, has undergone a similar breakneck expansion of people who rely on power. >> the demand for electricity continues to increase. even with the slow economy, just tweeting, use of video streams, use of data and records, it's part of the growth, we're experiencing about 1% of growth in the u.s. a year. the infrastructure of expansion has not kept up with demand. >> reporter: he says the american power grid once called the greatest engineering achievement of the last century is wearing out. policymakers and power companies, he says, have not

been able to agree on plans to spend more money to upgrade the grid. he points out no one wants a new power station in their neighborhood. so america hasn't been able to add capability and redundancy to the system. as a result he says backup systems, shock absorbers he calls them, have been shaved down leaving the u.s. more vulnerable to over usage episodes. extreme weather events like the storm in the atlantic and to cyber attack. the number of large scale outages affecting 50,000 or more customers over time doubled in the u.s. between 2000 and 2005. i posed that to a man from a power company. what about the grid is antiquated and it's more and more vulnerable to severe weather, cyber attacks, just over usage. >> well, let's deal with the first issue. we are spending the money. in 2004 -- just by way of

example, from 2001 to 2010 we have spent over $77 billion in upgrading our overall energy delivery system. that's very significant. >> owen says the u.s. will spend an additional $50 billion over the next three years to improve america's power grid. joe, he says the investment is there. >> right. and a lot of people know the u.s. has a power grid. and the big question for us is, is it different from india's? or part and parcel the same thing? >> there are significant differences. david owens points out in india the five grids are not all interconnected. i think four of the five are. but that's a key difference. in the u.s. there are three main power grids closely connect today each other. in india they don't have the supply, the consistency of supply to the grids that they have in the united states. and a key difference also in india, they do not have the policing and monitoring agencies kind of connected to the government that exists in the

u.s. here they have an agency that does that and can keep close tabs on where the trouble spots are. >> brian todd, thanks so much for that. >> thanks. hillary clinton is speaking out for the first time about the controversy swirling around one of her top aids, huma abedin. lawmakers questioning whether she has ties to the muslim brotherhood. cnn senior congressional correspondent, dana bash, is working the story for us. dana, what's the latest? >> reporter: joe, you know it's hard to overstate how close huma abedin is to hillary clinton. she was by her side as first lady in the white house to her time here in the united states senate to her run for president and now at the state department. for hillary clinton what she considers attacks on huma not just according to to state department officials, foreign policy, it's also personal. the question to secretary of state hillary clinton was about charges from five gop

congressmen that her aide and confida confidant, huma abedin, may have ties to islam. clinton was careful to say what she meant without saying it directly. >> we saw republicans stepping up and standing up against the kind of assaults that really have no place in our politics. >> reporter: a backhanded slap at the republicans raising questions about abedin by thanking their gop colleagues who have defended her. >> these attack haves no logic, no basis and no merit. and they need to stop. they need to stop now. >> reporter: it was the first time clinton spoke out about this controversy, which for weeks has been brewing and at times bubbling over. at issue, a series of letters written by former presidential candidate michele bachmann and four other gop lawmakers to inspectors general across the government asking where the muslim brotherhood, a radical islamic group, has infiltrated

the government. one letter singled out abedabed. may have loose ties and flimsy facts led to a rare rebuke from the house speaker. >> i think accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous. >> reporter: but this week former speaker newt gingrich weighed in with a robust defense writing an op-ed dubbing the gop congressman the national security five. >> it is legitimate to ask security questions. and it is legitimate to ask questions about who is influencing our foreign policy. >> reporter: bachmann has refused to answer our questions about it all. >> i can't do it right now. >> reporter: she did find time to talk to a supporter. radio host glenn beck and questioned abedin's security clearance. >> did she have to go through the same sort of process that anyone else has to go to. >> reporter: pointing the finger

at abedin. but cnn has learned privately one trent franks of arizona has told colleagues he has regrets. franks stood up at a meeting of conservative republicans last week and admitted singling out abedin was probably a tactical mistake because of the controversy it ignited overshadowed larger questions about the influence of the muslim brotherhood. now, to be clear, most republican congressmen according to many sources we've talked to on capitol hill think this was a big blunder by their five colleagues. in fact, i talked to one conservative republican house member who said that he is "c "thinks they're idiots" for making this mistake in the words of this congressperson i talked to, there's no reason to attack somebody like huma abedin especially without the evidence. what sources are saying is that for these five congressmen, joe, they have a very specific audience that they're trying to

reach. and it is paying off for at least one. and that is michele bachmann. her campaign for re-election in congress released a statement today saying she raised a million dollars just in the last 25 days. that is a lot of money for a re-election campaign for congress. and there is really little question that it was helped by the fact that this controversy is brewing. and a lot of people out there want to hit the so-called mainstream media. >> dana bash on capitol hill, thanks so much for that. a cnn exclusive, israeli president shimon per res tells wolf blitzer of what he thinks of president obama, meeting mitt romney and much, much more. straight ahead for the first time a democratic national convention a latino chosen to give the keynote speech. we'll talk about it with james carville. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays]

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it's a first. a latino chosen to deliver the address. he's well-aware that the keynote spotlight is especially bright. >> being the keynote speaker at the convention this year is an honor i don't take lightly. i know i've got some big shoes to fill. two conventions ago the keynote speaker was a guy named barack obama. >> let's get more now with cnn political contributor and democratic strategist james carville. so who is hulion castro? do you think he could be the next breakout star? >> when you read his story, you don't just automatically dismiss the possibility. i mean, he and his twin brother undergraduates of stanford, both

graduated the same time at harvard law. he wins re-election in san antonio, which i think is the seventh or eighth city in the united states by something like 83% of the vote. i mean, this guy looks like the real thing. from everything i hear from people in texas, very, very highly regarded. i think the obama campaign made a really inspired choice here. >> well, the interesting thing though is they're certainly reaching out to latinos, as they always would in election. here's a president very popular with latino voters right now. nonetheless, his record is attackable, if you will. for one thing, he did not enact immigration reform as he promised. and he's been hit many times for the fact that he deported more latinos perhaps than any other president. does he have a problem potentially somewhere down the road and has to make up for that? >> well, i mean, he didn't enact

immigration reform. why didn't he enact it? because the republicans blocked him. so latinos are pretty smart to say you're the guy that tried. the other party blocked you. we're not going to sort of reward you, if you will. i think he has a pretty inspired position on immigration. i'm sure that mayor castro is going to talk about that. but, look, anybody -- you run for president, you attackable on all those subjects. it's not just i think he'll do very fine with the latino vote, but it's also a matter of enthusiasm and also important to the democratic party that we have these kind of pioneer speakers, if you will. remember barbara jordan 1976, you know, was the first african-american to deliver a keynote address. so that's a pretty remarkable thing. it looks like this guy from everything that i hear and read is the real thing. now, he will have this problem, expectations of him are going to be sky high. he looks like the kind of man that can meet those expectations.

but no one is coming into this thing expecting just an okay speech. >> speaking of the democratic national convention, you do know that -- and we've been reporting, that democrats are working on a plank that they want to include relating to same sex marriage and supporting it. now, this sounds like a good idea for a lot of liberal democrats, but for some conservative democrats even in the state of north carolina there have been a lot of people who say they're oppose today same sex marriage. what's the democratic party going to do when they're sort of on both sides of this issue right now? >> look, as i recall -- a long time when i was in law school, an expression of rez judicata, it is decided. the democratic party from now to the rest of its existence however it is is going to be a party that is going to be for gay marriage. and sure there's some people that are against this, but

everyday there are fewer and fewer of them. this issue in poland has been remarkab remarkable. you can't be a democrat in 2012 and -- well, you can, but basically most democrats favor this. they think it's correct -- as i do too, the correct position of the party. the question is not when will the democratic party not endorse gay marriage. the question is in what year will the republican party come around and endorse gay marriage? that's the only thing in speculation here. >> james carville, thanks for that. always good to see you. >> well, thank you. appreciate it. appreciate the opportunity to visit with you. a new strain of bird flu is killing baby seals and could potentially pose a threat to humans. we'll tell you just how serious it is. plus, a mass swarm of bees when exterminators stumble on a hive almost ten feet high. you're in "the situation room." [ male announcer ] this is the at&t network.

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deadly stwin blasts rocked the iraqi capital. mary snow is monitor thag and some other top stories in "the situation room" right now. mary, what do you think? >> hey, joe. at least 15 people kill and had 47 others wounded in the baghdad explosions including some police officers. so far there's been no claim of responsibility. the violence comes just over a week after the country's deadliest day this year when more than 100 people were killed in a string of coordinated attacks across the region. scientists reveal today that a new strain of avian flu is responsible for the deaths of more than 160 baby seals off the

coast of new england last year. harbor seals. most are less than six months old and began showing signs of severe pneumonia and skin lesions before they died. they also warned the new virus could pose a threat to human health. and it's being called a texas-sized beehive. pest controllers drilling into the side wall of a home where engulfed a new swarm of bees before reaching a hive of almost ten feet high. the extermination was a free service for the man living next door. his wife is allergic to bees and his daughter suffers from epilepsy. and that bee wrangler was quoted as saying it was a "mountain of hell." >> i do not like those things. i'm allergic. a lot of people are. >> a lot of people are. >> thanks so much, mary. they rely on hundreds of millions of gallons of water each day. now, many of america's nuclear power plants are feeling the

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the critical bond between the united states and israel is front and center this week with republican presumptive nominee mitt romney including a stop in jerusalem. our own wolf blitzer not only sat down with mitt romney while

he was there, he also spoke exclusively with israel's president, shimon peres. >> in a word or two how are the relations right now? >> basically profound and right. usually is enjoyed by partisan report. i think we were lucky by having it, it shall remain the same way. >> would you say the relationship today is as good as it's ever been, not as good, strained, how would you describe it? >> i think generally as good as it could have been, as it should have been. you know, i learn from my boss that you have to judge a person in the right way, which is on his record. not what he say, not what he --

what they did do. when i look at the record of president obama concerning the major issue security i think it's a highly satisfactory record from israeli point of view. >> because his supporters back in washington say u.s./israeli military-to-military, intelligence-to-intelligence cooperation is stronger now than it's ever been. are they right? >> yes. and because what else is becoming our major concern with the new weapons in the middle east, we are surrounded by many dangers and many menaces. and security is really the top issue in our existence. and here the president is true to his words. what he pledged, he did. >> is there any issue that is a source of real problem now between the u.s. and israel?

>> in the press emphasize very much the iranian story. but on that too there is a basic agreement which says let's try and stop the development of the nuclear weapon by nonmilitary means, namely economic sanctions, political pressure. but telling the iranians, look, if it won't fly, there are other options on the table. maybe difference in timing or appreciation, well, it may happen. >> when you say on timing, that's a sensitive issue. >> yes. >> because you, the government of israel, you don't think there's a whole lot of time left. >> yes, but the difference is what, a month? how can you measure it? the sanctions are functioning, are beginning. they have impacted iran.

we have to wait a bit more and see if this impact is sufficient enough to convince the iranians to stop it. this will be the best way. none of us would like to see bloodshed. >> when you say months, how much time really is there given what's going on right now? >> look, if the iranians give right away, it could be tomorrow. but it doesn't look like for the time being. so right now there is a parallel effort, one by negotiating with them, that didn't bear our fruits. and other by increasing sanctions. i think it's a matter of months. >> a few months? six months? ten months? >> i can't tell it. >> not years. >> i don't think so. i don't think that anybody can hold it for such a long time. it's such a hot potato that you

hand begin to burn. >> i interviewed mitt romney here in jerusalem, the republican presidential candidate. not only did he say that jerusalem is israel's capital, but he also said that if he were elected president, he would move the u.s. embassy from tel-aviv to jerusalem following consultations with the government of israel depending on what the government of israel said. the question to you, mr. president, would you want the united states to move its embassy from tel-aviv to jerusalem? >> i would say no to such a proposal. but we have some other problems. and that is what will happen -- and other claims. but basically would say yes. >> so if he was elected and said to you, the president of israel, should the u.s. move the embassy, you would say yes?

>> i don't want to introduce any doubt, but it's not the first time that presidents in the past have promised it the same thing. and they found it difficult to fulfi fulfill. >> because other u.s. candidates have made that commitment. >> yes. >> only when they took office they didn't live up to it. >> when they took over they saw that it's a little bit more complicated. but basically i believe it is possible. and i am for it. >> is there any hope that the z israe israeli/palestinian peace process, can be revived? >> yes. >> because i don't see anything happening right now that would give me that kind of hope. tell us what you're seeing. >> i know it's a long time and remains a long way, the fact is there's a palestinian authority that exists. for the first time the

palestinians have a legal voice. secondly, they made the many -- they built many parts of governments. they revived a little bit economy. they introduced laws. they have a false to guarantee law and order. all this never existed. and the daily life is a little bit better than it's being described in the papers. when you come to jerusalem, you don't feel -- and every morning the jewish people praying in their way and muslims in their way. and so the christians -- in fact, there's a pragmatic co-existence. >> you met with mitt romney. this is not the first time you met with mitt romney, right? >> yes. >> you've met with him over a few times. here's the question, what do you think of this man?

>> well, look, it's election time. i have the highest respect for all candidates without making too many engagements on it. he is the candidate of the republican party, i respect him very much. >> because you obviously respect president obama as well. earlier you described the u.s./israeli relationship under his administration as being very strong. >> yes. he's the action president. and i have the highest regard for what he did as president. >> president obama? >> president obama, right. >> would you want to compare him? because you've worked -- and you go back to 1948 when harry truman recognized israel's independence. >> yes. >> you've worked with every american president over the years. >> yes. >> where would you put president obama? you've worked with all of them. >> on a high mark.

look, i worked with republican presidents and democratic presidents, all of them. and each of them has shown a deep and profound friendship to israel, you know? i can't remember anybody who was in that sense negative as far as israel's concerned. a growing thirst in a brutal dry spell. it's not just american farms feeling the impact. critical nuclear power plants are also feeling the drought. plus, a young man on the verge of a new life when a fight changed everything. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] scroll... tap... pinch... and zoom...

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the drought gripping much of the u.s. is taking a toll far beyond parched farms. nuclear power plants that provide electricity to millions of americans require huge amounts of water to run. and increasingly the plants are finding water harder to come by. cnn's sandra endo has details. sandra, how big of a problem is this? >> joe, the problem is really regulating water temperature. this is a problem that affects both conventional and nuclear power plants alike. while the majority are up and running just fine, all of them have to be mindful of just how hot their operations get. when you think of the widespread drought, you may think of this, and this. but consider this. nuclear power plants, thirsty for water to help generate electricity. water is drawn from lakes and rivers and is eventually released back. but by law for environmental reasons it cannot be more than ten degrees warmer than its

freshwater source. >> if we're in a ja kgetting to hot, if you're a fish and you run into that, your options are more limited. >> reporter: this year's heat wave and drought are making it difficult for some nuclear power plants to meet those water temperature requirements. in one case the nuclear plant in quad cities, illinois, had to ask for a waiver allowing it to discharge hotter water. the excessive heat also forced plants in vermont and illinois to reduce power. a third plant in new york had to mist its entire building to cool it down. the nuclear energy institute says it's not a problem unique to nuclear plants. >> we put a lot of attention into our preparation and actually bring additional manpower on when the heat really starts to get in place so we can be sure we stay online and produce the electricity and power those air conditioners that folks rely on.

>> the question is, if power plants are getting the water they need and there's not enough water in general, who else is losing out? what does that mean for how much water farmers are getting? what does that mean for what kind of cuts we're going to be asking for from our cities and towns? >> the nuclear regulatory commission says despite the drought, plants continue to operate safely and do have the water they need. they say what they're seeing now is consistent to what they've seen in the past during heat waves. joe. >> well, at least that's good to know. thank you so much for that sandra. >> sure. a high school basketball star on the verge of a new life. now among the latest murder statistics in chicago's soaring violent crimes. and more embarrassing headlines for mitt romney overseas after a top aide curses at reporters asking questions. will he be forced to do damage control once he's back in the u.s.? energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed

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the murder rate in america's third largest city is soaring. homicides up 34% in chicago. among the latest victims, a young man on the verge of a new life. cnn's ted rowlands has the story. ted? >> this is another heart breaking story out of the city of chicago this summer. so many young people have died because of the violence. this young man had a promising future as a basketball player and more importantly as a young man going to college. instead of preparing for his departure for college, michael haynes' family is preparing for his funeral. sfwl i was just hoping that if i did fall asleep, that i wake up

and it will be a dream. and it's not. and it hurts. >> reporter: former high school basketball star haynes was getting ready to get off the streets of chicago, onto the basketball court in order to fulfill his dream of becoming a division 1 basketball player when he was fatally shot and killed near his home. >> 6'6", physical specimen, been a star since he was in 7th grade as far as athletic ability. man, genuine. >> reporter: not only did haynes have athletic ability, but he was also someone in the neighborhood who kids looked up to. >> they often played ball, shoot around with them, you know what i'm saying. if mike had a few extra dollars on them, probably helped kids get icee, go to the candy store. he helped everybody. >> reporter: acourting to family, he was trying to break up a fight over a stolen necklace when he was shot.

it was one of five shootings in the city in an especially violent 12 hour stretch. >> guy doesn't make any mistakes. maybe michael served his purpose here. maybe this will make people stop. >> reporter: friends and family say he was the type of guy that would intercede to help people, and they point to the fact that he did exactly that when he died getting involved with that. the bottom line, another heartbreaking story of a young person dying for no reason, because of the violence this summer in chicago. joe? >> ted rowlands reporting from chicago. a major drug ring busted overseas. the u.s. was led to heroin and methamphetamine. and good news for fans awaiting the hobbit movie series. why you may get more than you bargained for.

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world health officials are desperately trying to contain a deadly ebola outbreak in uganda. mary snow is monitoring that and more. what do you have? >> 14 people died from the virus, 36 suspected cases have been reported. officials say nine of the deaths occurred in one household. the president is urging residents to be cautious. secretary of state hillary clinton begins an 11 day trip across africa. uganda one of the stops on that tour. australian police seized over 1,000 pounds of

methamphetamine and heroin. stuffed in terra cotta pots. they tipped off officials that a crime syndicate was planning to import them to the country. seven suspects were arrested. good news for people wondering about the hobbit adaptation. it will be a trilogy. the renowned director of ""lord of the rings" made the announcement on his facebook page." the final installment hits summer of 2014. the consumer federation of america has the annual list of top ten consumer complaints. some may sound familiar. number five, dealing with utility companies, cable, phone, internet. four, retail sales issues, including false advertising for defective merchandise. three, complaints of home improvements or construction. number two, credit card billing

and fees. and the number one complaint, autos. not a big surprise there, joe. >> not at all. got to tell you, i have a complaint right now. thanks so much for that, mary snow. >> sure. the news continues coming up next. happening now, the romney camp down plays another overseas gap. an aide curses out reporters. why officials in drought stricken states may want to take a trip to las vegas. and spoiler alert. some big olympic moments before they air in prime time. wolf blitzer is off today, i'm kate bolduan, you're in "the situation room". mitt romney is heading back

to the united states from poland right now, and his staff seems to be trying to ignore the critical reviews of the republicans' overseas tour. the romney camp calls the tour a great success, despite several well publicized embarrassments, recent one today when a romney aide cursed at reporters. jim acosta has been traveling with romney and has more. >> reporter: in the eyes of the romney campaign, there were no mistakes made by the gop contender on this trip. instead, the advisers say the world got to know a candidate that speaks from the heart. it is the image mitt romney has wanted voters to see for the last week. the gop contender walking tall on the world stage, visiting poland's tomb of the unknown soldier, and praising the former soviet block country for escaping the iron curtain. >> i and my fellow americans are inspired by the path of freedom,

tread by the people of poland. >> reporter: on every leg of the trip, he and the campaign faced one controversy after another. from his comments questioning the readiness to host the olympics to remarks at a fund-raiser in israel, hinting cultural differences might explain palestinian poverty. it is no surprise on a public plaza near the tomb of the unknown, reporters tried to ask romney about some of the perceived gaps on his trip. the candidate ignored the questions, his press aide gorka did not. >> show some respect. >> we won't have another chance to ask questions. >> this is a hole eyesight for the polish people. show some respect. >> reporter: after romney's speech in poland, a senior adviser was asked if anything had gone wrong with the trip. >> could this trip have gone more smoothly do you think in general? >> i think it was a great

success. can people listen. >> during a week long trip to three countries, romney took only three questions from the traveling press corp. he did a series of sit down interviews, including with wolf blitzer and piers morgan. still, the obama campaign slammed romney as not ready for prime time. while the trip got a more sympathetic response from the white house. >> these are high stakes enterprises that pulling them off is a lot harder than it looks, that they can be very tense, especially if they're not going well. >> reporter: signaling they're turning the page, the romney campaign revealed a smart phone app, and a new ad on the economy. >> i know what it is like to hire people and wonder whether you're going to be able to make

ends meet down the road. >> reporter: he never openly criticized the president on the trip but it is all going to change as romney arrives in the battleground state of colorado later had week. >> jim acosta, thanks so much. some members of team obama are taking harder jabs at romney. senior adviser robert gibbs called the foreign tour an embarrassing disaster. the president's aides are arguing he performed better when he made his debut on the world stage back in 2008. bring in brianna with more. shocker, they're having a field day with this. >> yeah, shocker, i guess not, right, kate? the obama campaign and the white house is more than happy to draw the comparison. they try to raise questions about whether mitt romney is ready to lead on the international stage. in july, 2008, then senator barack obama arrived in afghanistan, start of a whirl

wind tour that included kuwait, iraq, jordan, israel, france, germany, great britain. it was a high stakes visit for a first term senator with little foreign policy experience, who campaigns in part on winding down the war in iraq. >> my goal is to no longer have u.s. troops engaged income pat operations in iraq. >> reporter: the iconic image from that trip, a crowd in berlin, estimated as 300,000 people gathered to listen to obama. >> tonight i speak to you not as a condition for president but as a citizen. a proud citizen of the united states and a fellow citizen of the world. >> reporter: quite a reception, though attracting an audience overseas isn't always helpful for a candidate trying to attract swing voters at home, and republicans tried to capitalize on that. >> he is the biggest celebrity in the world. but is he ready to lead? >> reporter: overall, the trip was a success, which is to say

obama returned to the u.s. with no damage done. four years later, mitt romney can't say the same thing, and the obama campaign is reveling in it, holding a press conference to highlight how much he upset the british and palestinians on his trip. >> he both offended our closest ally and triggered a troubling reaction in the most sensitive region of the world. he certainly didn't prove to anyone that he passed the commander in chief test. >> reporter: even the white house which often punts questions about the political race over to the obama campaign in chicago, weighed in multiple times. >> presidents, senators, congressmen, former governors need to be very mindful of the impact because of the diplomatic implications of what you say overseas. >> reporter: ultimately, voters may overlook romney's gaps in an election all about the domestic

economy. >> the voters this time are more likely to make the decision base on who will be a better promoter of economic growth and job growth in this country than they are about foreign affairs. >> reporter: the obama campaign is also criticizing romney for not visiting with troops as president obama did on his trip which he went to war zones. the romney camp says romney as a private citizen met with troops and military leaders. kate, there was one misstep president obama had on his 2008 trip that his campaign is certainly not talking about, and that is when he was in germany, his campaign cancelled a trip to a medical center to meet with wounded troops. the campaign said they were afraid it would look like troops were being exploited for a campaign stop. republicans pounced at the time saying it is never inappropriate to visit with troops. >> so no one is immune to

criticism when on the campaign trail. that's for sure. great report, thank you, brianna. thanks so much. democrats and republicans in congress struck a deal today. no, i didn't misspeak, they did strike a deal today. that should eliminate threat of government shut down before the november election. our senior congressional correspondent dana bash is on top of it. they seemed to do it again. another stop gap measure? >> reporter: that's right. probably not a big surprise since it happened so many times before. let me tell you two main reas s reasons. first cal year ends a month before election day. the politics of any government shut down is a jump ball, unclear if it would help democrats or republicans or neither. both sides figured it is better to just pass this continuing resolution, stop gap measure, to make sure there's no question the government will not shut down. second reason is everybody realizes there's going to be a lot of work congress has to do after the election between november and end of the year,

when the so-called fiscal cliff is coming. that's when the bush era tax cuts run out and the spending cuts go into effect. >> right there, you hit it. this is a rare showing of bipartisanship. on big issues in the lame duck session, there's no indication this bipartisanship will reach into that, right? >> all of that will be answered in the election. which side will blink, so to speak, and how the issue of tax cuts will play out. interestingly, i think it is important to note, kate, that this whole idea of making sure the government is funded is pretty fundamental to congress's role in the constitution. want to show you a graphic, the producer found this information. it is fascinating. last time congress didn't do this, pass a government spending measure was 15 years ago, in

1997 also in the past 35 years, congress and the president agreed to a long term budget only three times, kate, only three times in 35 years, 1989, 1995, 1997 so democrats have been in charge, republicans have been in charge. both sides have fault for not doing, again, what is a fundamental job, and that is passing the 12 or 13 appropriations or spending bills and sending it to the president to be funded. >> excellent to remind them what their fundamental job is. we'll continue to cover it. dana bash on the hill, thanks so much. with more than 60% of the country reeling from drought, local officials might want to get tips from las vegas where water has been scarce more than a decade. and more olympic records are broken. stand by for a spoiler alert. see key moments before they air in prime time.

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one of the worst rounds in u.s. history is having huge ripple effects around the country. it is raising costs because mod rn oil production is dependent on water. this devastating dry spell is all too familiar for people in las vegas. they have been plagued by drought for a dozen years. casey wian is in las vegas looking at the drought. that city seems to have had a little success here. >> reporter: that's right. i am actually in los angeles now. i did travel to las vegas where there's been severe drought more than a decade. haven't run out of water yet, but it has taken dramatic measures to make sure it doesn't happen. why not build an oasis in the mojave desert. casinos, what could be wrong.

try a drought lasting a dozen years and counting. >> we thought mother nature couldn't get us. >> reporter: the most visible example is the impact on southern nevada, lake mead, which supplies 90% of the area's water. by volume, less than half full. the water czar has by necessity become a fierce conservationist, presiding over water reductions. >> this community cut water use by one-third and added 400,000 people. they know they live in the driest spot in the united states. they know water will forever be one of their great challenges. and they've really made some changes. >> reporter: this is a las vegas housing development built before the drought, green grass all around. a newer development, nothing but desert landscaping. water officials spent nearly $200 million paying homeowners to remove existing lawns.

for golf courses and residents, there are fines for wasting water. the more you use, the more expensive it gets. with the lake shrinking, conservation isn't enough. before the drought, this would be underwater. it lost so much water that the two existing intake pipes that supply southern nevada are in danger of being inoperable. they decided to build an $800 million third intake, 600 feet below the ground. blasting into the bottom of the lake, building a tunnel, stretching three miles is a massive project, scheduled to be complete in 2014. >> who is paying for it. >> citizens. we went through a rather contentious rate increase as you can well imagine this economy. >> reporter: the third intake is insurance against an even longer drought. and if it is not enough, there are controversial plans for a 300 mile pipeline to tap underground reservoirs from as

far away as utah. >> how secure is the future water supply for southern nevada? >> it is very secure because we have anticipated the worst. we have planned for the worst and hoped for the best. >> reporter: mulroy says with climate change and unpredictal weather patterns, communities less accustomed to drought need to prepare. >> don't ever think it can't happen to you. >> reporter: nevada has signed deals with arizona and southern california to store and trade water for use in catastrophic droughts. even discussing that idea with mexico. kate? >> that statistic blew me away, cut the water by one-third and added residents at the same time. i found that fascinating. so what advice does mulroy have for other communities facing drought? >> reporter: she says what the rest of the country needs to start thinking about is preparing 50 years in the future for future water supplies. also says we need to take as a

country a closer look at storing water when we have floods because we're not going to just face increased drought with climate change in the future, there's going to be more floods, there should be a way she says to store more of that for dry years, kate. >> fascinating. fascinating stuff. casey wian, great report. thank you so much from los angeles tonight. imagine this. a blackout across the entire united states, twice over. that's what people in india have been suffering through. at 40 past the hour, a closer look at the one state and one issue that could decide if president obama keeps his job.

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tomorrow's forecast for the capitol of indiana, high in the 90s, heat index over 100. mary snow has that and other top stories in "the situation room" now. mary, what's the latest. numbers from india are astounding. >> they are. officials say power mostly has been restored at one of the worst blackouts the world has seen. the country suffered a massive electrical outage second day in a row. 600 million people were effected. roughly double the population of the united states. fighting raging in syria's most populated city.

opposition forces say they're making gains in aleppo, but there's speculation the government may be planning a big push in the area in coming days. opposition forces are attacking and taking control of syrian police stations like in that picture there. rebels say at least 40 officers have died in the violence. back in the u.s., testimony started today in the trial of drew peterson, former chicago area police officer accused of murdering his third wife in 2004. a seven man, five woman jury is hearing the case. the trial is expected to last about a month. peterson is also under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife. and hotmail is about to be history. microsoft says it will radically overhaul the e-mail service, including a name change, to outlook.com. existing users can keep their hotmail.com addresses, but new users cannot. hotmail launched in 1996.

seems like so long ago. >> i remember having the old hotmail account. you're right, when phones are out of date in a week and a half. >> time to reboot. mary snow, thank you. signs that the romney campaign may be making a big rollout for the vice president. and stand back, will farrell and zach galifianakis join us.

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happening now. mitt romney's overseas trip up for debate. will voters remember the flubs. there's hunger in ohio that could help determine whether president obama keeps his job. stay here to learn some olympic results before they air in prime time. i'm kate bolduan, you're in "the situation room." first on cnn tonight, new clues about when mitt romney might announce his vice presidential nominee. peter handby learned he is laying the profile for a blitz of several battle ground states in runup to the republican national convention. some insiders briefed on the plans tell cnn it has all of the

trappings of a vice presidential rollout tour. we are told he will kickoff that campaign next week, including stops in virginia, north carolina, ohio, florida. they hope to begin up excitement for the tour. a romney aide today cursed at reporters who tried to shout questions near poland's tomb of the unknown soldier. >> governor romney, do you feel your gaps have overshadowed your foreign trip? >> show some respect, jim. >> won't have another chance to ask questions. >> this is a holy site for the polish people. show some respect. >> bring in republican strategist mary mat lynn to discuss this. and domestic policy director for

obama 2008 campaign. we will get to the romney aide's comments in moment. i want to talk about great reporting from peter. is this a good way to roll out a vice presidential pick, a swing through key battleground states? the contest will be determined in those states, somewhere between 9 and 11, down to 6, those are the epicenter of swing states, whoever wins those will win the election. of course it makes sense. i think it is a brilliant way to unfold it. >> talk about the timing. the timing here, people wonder would he announce before he left for the olympics, not obviously while he was away. obviously this is a clutch time. has to announce before the convention. >> i think the romney campaign has actually been saying for a long time, we are just about to

do it. it is a traditional approach. they layout to the vice presidential candidate is, campaign, and go into the convention. after all of the cry about doing it early, turns out they'll do it at the same time everyone else has done it. >> we could spend another ten minutes talking about who the veep will be, we will move on, that will be coming, we will have more conversations about it. >> this goes to the segue to the gap. there are fewer than 100 days left until the election, and what we are all focused on is the alleged gap. there are very few determinative moments. one is vice presidential selection, then the debates and the larger debate. people will start paying attention with the vice presidential selection and better to do it right and well than to have made some sort of

political timing decision. >> yeah. i mean, on this gap, alleged gap, the latest one coming from the romney aide, it is kind of one in a string of things that's gotten relatively negative headlines during the overseas trip. mary, do you think the trip back fired? was this worth it, could it have been time better spent going through the swing states? >> you know, i've now seen that clip of the whoever that was screaming. i mean, the juxtaposition of the mike, but i go back to the reagan era, where the picture that was juxtaposed with that screaming reporter, whoever it was, is mitt romney looking very presidential. the other pictures were the candidate romney at the tomb of the unknown soldier or at the western wall, the whaling wall. people look at pictures. voters that matter will see the pictures and see a very presidential looking mitt romney. the voters that care about these

gaps, so-called gaps have already made up their mind. >> and neera, i want to bring you in on this specifically. our interview of the former candidate rick santorum earlier today, listen to what rick santorum said about the romney trip. >> i think that the long term take from this is one that we can make the differentiation between what a world with mitt romney and republican administration would be versus the tattered relationships we have with some of the best, longest, strongest allies. >> democrats obviously are going to love highlighting the gaps, if you will. does mary have a point, neera. is this a side show as rick santorum when the election will turn on issues like the economy? >> i guess mary could make the argument that people don't care

what mitt romney says, they only care what he looks like on tv, but i think actually voters are more sophisticated than that, and they care whether a presidential candidate is ready to be president. i think -- i am sympathetic. i have been on campaigns that are winning, losing, campaigns where there's a lot of pressure, mary has been as well, and the thing is, you know, people on staff make those kinds of statements. they have gaps like that. they attack reporters when their candidate is making mistake after mistake after mistake. i am sort of sympathetic to the reporter, it is clear the pressure of having to deal with one gap after another really just came through. and i think voters care about whether a presidential candidate can go to other countries and represent the united states and have mistakes or not have mistakes. president obama four years ago

demonstrated to the world that he was ready to be president and the fact of the matter is that mitt romney demonstrated to the world that he is not ready to be president. we've heard it from allies. conservative thinkers in israel criticized this candidate. i think, you know, you can say people care about the pictures, but i don't think -- >> you know what, i did not make the argument that people don't care what mitt romney says. if they care what he says, they're going to look at the speeches. what do you call a gaffe, that he said the security issue at the olympics was disconcerting? headlines over europe. or israel has the right to defend itself? these are gaffes? please, you went on filibustered forever, quiet a second. do you think any voter has impact because a press aide said show some respect at the tomb of the unknown soldier?

the media is held in lower esteem than congress. these are not gaffes, gargantuan gaffes that president obama said in a row, you didn't build it, that has legs. this is nothing. this is part of the obama campaign trying to distract because he cannot talk about his own record. he wants to throw up smoke distractions. >> with all due respect, the sign of the gaffe is when the presidential candidate himself correct himself within a half hour a day the next day. that happened two or three times on this campaign. might want to -- just in the last few days. i just take my queues from mitt romney on what a gaffe. >> we have to leave it there. thank you both. talk to you soon. president obama is fighting to hold onto ohio. the critical battleground state he won years ago. voters there may be hungry for change. and you don't have to watch

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less than 100 days before the 2012 election, if i needed to remind you again. president obama leads in every poll in t stahe state of ohio. that does not mean a win. we went to ohio to talk to people about the driving issue of the campaign, the economy. >> reporter: it is the morning

rush, and demand has never been higher. the work load at the akron food bank tells you about battleground ohio. >> the process of coming to the realization you can't feed your family and need to ask for help is a crippling emotional blow for a lot of people to suffer. >> reporter: demand spiked in 2008 and 2009. ceo daniel flowers says it is rising now. >> demand is going up, but not at the rate. >> not at the rate that it was a couple years ago. and so it's almost a sad fact that that feels like a win, it has been so bad. >> reporter: not so bad, but still the numbers are numbing. more than 2 million people in ohio, 18% of the state population, go hungry or eat less than they should because they can't afford more food. akron is in summit county, a battleground within the battleground. >> if the election for u.s. president was today, would you

vote for mitt romney or barack obama? >> reporter: republicans acknowledge mitt romney is a few points behind in ohio and acknowledge it is virtually impossible to win the white house without winning here. now republicans don't expect to carry summit county. john mccain barely cracked 40%. romney won't have a prayer statewide if he can't make it closer. >> that enthusiasm wasn't there like it should have been. i get calls what can i do to help romney win. >> reporter: unemployment was 9.3% when he took office, 7% now. in another county, 7.2% now, down from 8.1%. tim burke says if they can't make the case, ohio is worse off. >> take the automobile industry and how that's seen a resurgence in the state of ohio. and we've got like three quarters million jobs automobile related here in ohio. and we are seeing the benefits of that for president obama.

>> reporter: some, though, have a different test than the unemployment rate. >> put this in the back. >> reporter: george is at the akron food bank four days a week for five years, helping the good neighbors charity and along the way, watching the face of hunger change. >> i say we are going into the middle of the middle class, reaching to the suburban people, to people that used to have a nice home, a nice car. it is worse than it was three years ago. >> reporter: better or worse, the defining question in what could be the defining battle ground. john king, cnn, akron, ohio. >> john king, thank you so much for that great report. let's get a quick check from erin burnett in new york what she's working on for top of the hour. hey there, what are you working on? >> kate, we are talking about defense sequestration, turned into world war iii in washington, whether people that are serving overseas could be given pink slips, the accusation

from the chairman of the armed services committee. we try to get to the bottom of whether the numbers add up. and change in law that president obama put forth added up. and chick-fil-a. getting ready for appreciation day, another controversial issue. we looked into how wealthy the men at the top of that company are, and where they're getting money. and there's some pretty interesting answers in that investigation. all of that top of the hour. >> very interesting. sequestration, another dirty word from washington we all have to learn more and more about. erin, thanks so much. looking forward to that. >> all right. it is the talk of the olympics. viewers frustrated, waiting to see the big event. wait no more. we have the most up to date results before you see them on tv tonight.

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it is almost midnight in london where it has been a day full of olympic action in nearly two dozen sports from archery to weightlifting. fair warning, spoiler alert. spoiler alert. tom foreman has results from the day's competitions. i have been debating, do i want to know, i have been avoiding the websites. i want to know. how did team usa do? >> i tell you, you don't want to hear, turn down the sound, turn away for about three minutes, and you'll be covered. don't be mad later, do it now, turn away, turn down the sound if you don't want to hear it, we're about to tell you. bring it up here. take a quick look. i have to turn that off. hold on. start with the timer, going through the fast two minutes in olympic coverage. there it goes. we start with swimming because michael phelps has been struggling. got silver earlier today in

butterfly. then later on in the day, picked up a gold in a relay to make him the all time medal winningest olympian. a big step for him and big improvement of what he had been doing so far. gymnastics, a huge thing. the american women out here seeking gold for the first time since 1996. they were in the hunt all day long. race man, doug last, ross, marimarc maroney, weiber. they beat the russians for the gold. huge accomplishment in women's gymnastics. and with 83 seconds left, skeet shooting. this is really interesting. vincent hancock, a guy in the u.s. army, 23 years old, much younger than most other competitors in this. he is from georgia. won in beijing. didn't think he'd come back.

decided he would. with good solid shooting, bang. he grabbed the gold medal as well. there was also a win on the woman's side of this, so that was a sweep for the united states in skeet shooting that's a very technical sport that requires an awful lot of tremendous effort there. look, we even broke the record here. we're well under the limit. >> thing that clock was slowing down just to give you some extra time. >> this clock was too fast the last time and now it's too slow. i think we're going to have to -- >> it's called magic. >> exactly. okay. real quick because, of course, i'm sure we're running out of time now. where does the medal count stand for the countries. >> the medal count -- there you have it. china, 23. the u.s., 23. they've got an edge on us in gold medals right now, but this is going to be the big contest to watch. jarngs jan, china, south korea.

if i'm not mistaken, half the teams at the olympics have never won a medal. imagine what those teams are like if they're competing against u.s. or china or japan. >> we'll keep watching it. >> you and i, my friend. we're competing in rio. >> you and me, that's it. thank you so much. mary snow is monitoring some of the other top stories in the situation room. hey, mary, what do you have? >> if you were betting the government lawsuit against onlight poker sites wouldn't go to trial, you'd win. the judge decided. and they agreed to a $731 million settlement. it's settling with a third company absolute poker. it's part of the settlement, none of the companies admits wrongdoing. take a look at this. the danger with a proposal at a baseball game is your girlfriend

doesn't see the message. that happened to greg. here it is. she left her seat in the middle of the fifth inning to get two drinks. look at his face. the cubs help distract greg scoring nine runs in the bottom of the inn. that was enough to keep her by his side when he opted to make the proposal in person. she didn't miss the message this time. happy ending after all. >> stand by for a pop culture update that will help you keep up with your kids. and the artist formally known as snoop dogg has a new name. you're in the situation room. what?! you've got to be kidding me. [ derek ] i've never seen a road like this. there's jagged rock all the way around. this is really gonna test the ats on all levels. [ derek ] this road is the most uneven surface, and it gets very narrow. magnetic ride control is going to be working hard. the shock absorbers react to the road 1,000 times a second.

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earlier in the situation room the stars of the new movie "campaign" stopped by "the situation room." they co-starred with the one and only, wolf blitzer. >> there's news coming out of the 14th district congressional race in north carolina. now, get this. cam brady, four-time congressman punched a baby. >> that is hilarious. the actors told our joe johns about the scene. >> i saw the punch. you threw it. >> right, i threw it. >> as i understand it, it was maybe your nephew. >> i may have said that in an interview, but it was probably a lie sniet wasn't your baby? >> no, i was not related to the baby. >> it was a highly trained stunt baby. >> did the baby cry?

>> the baby was so tough that, no, he didn't even shed a tear. in fact, laughed in my face and i believe its first words were is that all you got. >> is that all you got. it was hilarious. it stars zack, will ferrell and wolf. rap artist snoop dogg just announced he's changing his name. jeanne moos reports. >> reporter: after all these years of dogg. >> please welcome snoop dogg. >> snoop dogg. >> now snoop lion? >> i could never become snoop lion if i was never snoop dogg. >> did you hear the news? snoop dogg has changed it to snoop lion. >> no, i think it's a dumb idea. >> he's been reincarnated.

he went to nigeria, went to a high priest who suggested he's a lion and not a dog i want to bury dogg and become snoop lion. >> and switch from rap to reggae. is it permanent? as the website holy moly put it. he'd better not be lying to us. >> lying is the elevation of snoop dogg. >> we haven't had to deal with such a change since puff daddy and p diddy. >> he called the artest formerly known as dog, the nickname reportedly came from the dog snoopy because of his long snoopy-named face. true it got a bad rap if former senator simpson.

somehow it wouldn't work with lion although snoop still applies. >> come on snoop, snoop-a-loop. >> there is this downside. pity the person with the name change. some may pretend to shrug off this earth-shaking change. he's changed his name to snoop lion, i kid you not. >> things that sound cool when said by snoop dogg. number 10. >> yo. >> will "yo" still sound cool with anything like lion? >> it probably compares to something between a onand a roar.

. >> i'm kate bolduan in new york. "outfront" next, the fight over the automatic defense cuts heating up but just how many jobs are being cut? a lot of numbers have been thrown around, but do they add up. mitt romney. should he have stayed home? you're going to be shocked to the answer to this because we've got one. and a warning, the number of al qaeda affiliated groups are rising. right now, let's go "outfront." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com well, good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnette. is the president hiding up to 200 layoffs. assistant labor secretary jane oates posted this update. now, it was quietly posted to the labor department's website just yesterday.

as we reported 46 days ago the law called the warn act calls for employers to announce layoffs of employees 60 days before hand. we're talking about ones like the ones related to the defense industry thanks to the 2 hnt $1 trillion in sequestration cuts. since they take effect on january 2nd, here's a calendar. layoff announcement that the depence contractors would go out november 3rd. as you can see, that's three days before the presidential election. obviously those are not headlines barack obama wants. enter the labor department. here's the letter. the warn act notice to employees of federal contractors including defense industry is not required 60 days in advance of january 2nd 2013 and would be inappropriate. yes, the administration is reinterpreting the law on the sly because this was quietly sent out a